Sunday, October 28, 2007

The beauty of going to see local bands in their hometown is that it often leads to unexpected and unusual gigs that really leave you walking away feeling like you saw something special. Tonight was one of those nights.

The band started the night in fully costumed regalia, and managed to create a completely irreverent environment for the duration of the night. Apparently they had flown back especially for this show in honor of their manager's birthday, and were set to make the most of it. A few songs in to the set, said manager was brought on stage to break a pinata, and accordingly balloons and candy were thrown into the audience.

The band managed to get their single Ghetto Ways out in the beginning of the set, and from there on out it was clear that they were there to have a good time. They a range of songs off both of their albums, but focused primarily on the more recent Underhanded Romance. While the newer stuff was tighter and better known by the audience, it was good to hear the tunes off of Bruno as well. In particular it was great to hear a reworked "Hey Man U Well Is".

In truth, it was a crowd of hometown fans, and there was nothing but love in the room. Clearly this fact was not lost on the band, who managed to give a kick ass performance, while at the same time interacting with fans, hamming it up, and visibly enjoying themselves for the duration of the set. In comparison to the set I saw this spring at Noise Pop, the band seemed tighter, more confident, and revitalized.

After seeing this show, I remain convinced that Scissors For Lefty is a sleeping giant waiting to be unleashed on the American public. They manage to deliver substantive, worthwhile rock, while at the same time maintaining a sense of the fun and excitement is that is lost on so many bands. It's great to see them smiling, enjoying the music, and interacting with fans. Who knows when exactly they will "make it big", but in the meantime San Francisco's glad to have them.

Scissors For Lefty is back at GAMH December 4th with Juliette Lewis, as well as bringing in the New Year at the Bottom Of The Hill.